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Obama to speak on health care law Thursday

President Obama returns to a familiar topic on Thursday: Health care. Obama will discuss the economic benefits of the new health care law, the White House announced, a day after New York state reported that it

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Obama will discuss the economic benefits of the new health care law, spokesman Jay Carney said, a day after New York state reported that it expects private health insurance rates to drop by more than half because of the legislation.

The president will deliver his speech at the White House.

Carney said that because of new health insurance rules, "this summer, 8.5 million consumers are receiving half a billion dollars in rebates. The average consumer rebate is around $100."

As for the New York news, Carney said: "Not only will new insurers be entering the market to offer plans to consumers, the cost for even the most comprehensive plans will be down by over 50%, according to the state."

The New York Times reported that new and lower premium rates "do not affect a majority of New Yorkers, who receive insurance through their employers, only those who must purchase it on their own. Because the cost of individual coverage has soared, only 17,000 New Yorkers currently buy insurance on their own. About 2.6 million are uninsured in New York State."

The announcement of Thursday's speech also comes as the House prepares a vote that would require the Obama administration to delay a requirement that all individuals buy health insurance, just as it delayed a rule requiring large businesses to provide insurance to their employees.

"If the president believes the employer mandate is too much for the employer community, how about basic fairness for American families and individuals?" said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

It's the 38th time the Republican House has tried to eliminate or scale back the health care law Obama signed in 2010.

Their latest plan would face near-certain defeat in the Democratic Senate, and a presidential veto in any case.